More highway snow-clearing ‘very welcome’ news

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This article was published 29/11/2023 (690 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE province’s plan to improve highway snow-clearing by hiring back 40 retirees has been applauded by a rural politician who was miffed when the main link from Winnipeg to the U.S. had to be closed twice in October during the first blasts of winter.

“It’s a very, very welcome announcement,” Emerson-Franklin Reeve Dave Carlson said Wednesday.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure has outlined measures to step up maintenance on main routes. The retirees are expected to assist with snow-clearing operations and staff will be on stand-by on weekends and holidays.

Carlson had criticized the government after the northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 75 between Morris and the Canada-U.S. border closed on a Saturday (Oct. 28) for about 20 hours because they were covered in ice and slick.

Two days later, Highway 75 closed between Winnipeg and Morris for a couple of hours.

A government spokesperson said Wednesday the department is looking at options and the feasibility of 24-hour winter road operations for select, high-volume roads.

“To meet this commitment, the department is actively recruiting staff to fill multiple maintenance worker (snowplow operator) vacancies,” the spokesperson said.

Carlson called it a great step.

“I believe this new government is going to commit to enhancing services and bringing them back to better staffing levels that are required. We’re cautiously optimistic that the situation with our highways will be getting better.”

Josh Guenter, the Tory critic for transportation and infrastructure, whose constituency includes Highway 75, raised concerns about poor highway maintenance in Tuesday’s question period.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt responded by saying the NDP is building back highway maintenance after the former PC government cut the budget.

Guenter shot back that the former NDP government cut weekend snowplowing operations.

Carlson said he’s glad someone is promising to improve Manitoba road maintenance that has been “lacking.”

There’s a lot at stake, he said, especially along Highway 75.

“It’s a safety issue, it’s functionality, it’s the reputation of the province as a centre of trade and commerce,” the reeve said.

“We need that highway to be functioning. It’s where so much commerce goes through.”

Carlson said snowplow and highway maintenance is tough work and vitally important. He applauded the plan to bring back retirees with experience who could mentor new staff.

“It’s not always easy to attract or retain staff for positions like that,” the municipal leader said. “It’s not an easy job. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca